Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita, III announced that 29 year-old Eli Casillas was found guilty, as charged, after a jury trial, of Strangulation in the Second Degree and Assault in the Second Degree, in connection with a vicious attack upon his former girlfriend, who was 39 weeks pregnant at the time of these crimes.

Casillas, who has previously been convicted of a felony, inflicted the following injuries upon the victim: bruising to her body and face, causing a severely swollen eye and leaving a bruise in the shape of Casillas’ hand upon her neck; additional bruising as the result of repeated strikes with a metal broom; and, strangulation which nearly caused the victim to lose consciousness.

The case was successfully tried by Assistant District Attorney and Domestic Violence Bureau Chief Rachel Newton and Assistant District Attorney Michael Smith. DA Sedita commended his prosecutors, adding: “such savage acts of domestic violence cannot be tolerated in a civil society and will continue to be aggressively prosecuted by this office as they always have.”

Casillas, a second felony offender, remains in custody and faces up to 14 years in state prison when sentenced before Supreme Court Justice Deborah Haendiges on March 14, 2013 at 2:00 PM.